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Wednesday, March 10, 2010

New French Diet Eat Air

Well it seems as though a new diet fadstarvation plan created in France is the next big thing. The diet is called “L'Air Fooding” and it involves putting food on a plate and pretending to eat it. Yes, so very chic; put food on your fork and bring it to your lips but never take a bite. Not to worry, if the hunger pangs hit you, you can always fill up on soup à l’eau (water soup) which consists of water and salt. Mmmm tasty.

To ensure that the diet starvation plan is understood to be the next great thing, French Grazia is promoting it, using Madonna’s Dolce & Gabbana campaign, and other photos of celebs holding food to their mouths and not eating it.

I would love to have a word with the small brained individual, who thought this was a good idea. Honestly, haven’t enough women died from eating disorders without making it trendy to starve oneself? Food is an essential part of life; it is the fuel that gives our bodies energy.

We are constantly told that we should lose weight to get healthy, but if the plan involves starving yourself, I fail to see how this is a healthy option. We should just be honest and admit that the media disciplines women is not out of a concern for health and well being, but to keep women constantly unstable and reaching for standards that are not normal for them or sustainable.

If your body is meant to be a size 14 and you are desperate to be a size 4, you will spend money on fad diets, surgery and exercise equipment/gym to achieve this look no matter the personal cost. Not only will this cost an exorbitant amount of money, it will not necessarily amount to a healthier stronger version of you. It will in fact drain you of essential elements even as it is impoverishing you.

This diet starvation plan is nothing but a recipe for an eating disorder. Women already have a complicated relationship with food due to our stigmatization of fat bodies and poverty. Did the inventor of this diet starvation plan even consider how this looks to poor women who go without to feed their kids? Do they even realize that some are lucky to get one meal a day? Starvation is not something to do for fun. It LEADS TO DEATH FOR MILLIONS. There are families grocery shopping at food banks and eating at soup kitchens, so you can just imagine how they might not be able to identify with this incredibly large brain fart masquerading as a diet. This diet starvation plan reeks of class privilege. Imagine that, I’m so privileged that I’m going to diet starve myself, how fucking chic.

Heaven forbid we just try to promote a message of balance and health that does not mock women and stigmatize fatness as the ultimate evil. How about we stop actively promoting eating disorders and just for shits and giggles, how about we recognize the luxury that food really is? How revolutionary, a world that actually considers what is best for all.

Intense Debate Comments

About Me

I am the mother of two darling little boys that fill my life with hope. They have inspired me to help raise awareness of the issues that plague this little blue planet.
If you are looking for a blog that is all about how wonderful and rosy this world is, turn right because this space will not be for you. I am a committed humanist. I believe in the value of people over commodities. I believe in the human right to food, clothing, shelter, and education. I am pacifist, anti-racist, WOC. My truth may not be your truth, but I intend to speak it nonetheless.
Please feel free to direct questions or commentary womanistmusings@gmail.com